5 Pit Bulls Who Are Giving the Breed a Good Name

Petful ^ | March 28, 2013 | Kristine Lacoste

[kanawa]

No one wants to see innocent people die.

I also don't want to see innocent people punished, their liberty restricted in response to something they didn't do.

I am an advocate for and believer in the values and virtues of Individualism, Freedom and Personal Responsibility.

I advocate for responsible dog ownership regardless of breed. I advocate for education being an essential component of responsible dog ownership.

I don't support draconian measures that target and punish millions of responsible owners and innocent dogs.

We can see other areas of society/culture where such draconian measures are being called upon to be imposed on all individuals, guilty or innocent, responsible or not.

I'm sure you can think of a few areas where these tactics are being advocated, perhaps you are even one of those whom the statists have in their 'sights'.

I put it to you that the vast majority of bad behavior by ANY dog, regardless of breed, could be prevented if the Principles of Responsible Dog Ownership are applied.

Control, Contain, Maintain, Train and Socialize

Disagree without being Disagreeable
Have a Nice Night

[Hugin]

It’s both. Pits are natural killers, and trashy people want the most badass dog they can get. Bad owners can make them worse, but they were bred to be killers.

[Salamander]

Pits suck as guard dogs.

They were bred to be human-friendly due to the function they served as drover dogs.

Even “fighting dogs” MUST be people oriented to avoid bites during the end of a fight.
[a curse upon those who subject them to such]

I have cheerfully walked into *dozens* of yards with Pits present, only to be wiggle-mobbed and slobbered upon.

Lost count of the “yutes” who picked up [some literally] their Pits and ran when they saw me coming with the Dobes.

Still laugh about the guy on the sidewalk who saw Odin poke his head out the Yukon window, and then screamed like a girl and ran away through a parking lot, carrying his big ass Pibble.

Bottom line, ghetto scum Pits are the problem, and that because of WHO has them.

Dirty truth everyone is too PC to admit.

[Salamander]

Disregarding the keyboard kommando portion, you are somewhat correct.

Punish the OWNERS mercilessly and you will see the “pit problem” vanish in months.

As it stands, the poor stupid dogs are killed for “revenge/misplaced justice” and the owners, not really caring one whit, just go out and get another couple-three to replace the dead ones.

The catch is, though, that prosecuting them will be deemed “racism” in 99% of the cases so it’ll never happen.

None dare say this but it’s a racial problem, not a dog problem.
[stupid ass Whoopie Goldberg called it their “culture”]

I know a crapload of “honkies” with Pits and “attacks” NEVER happen.

[Salamander]

Cops are getting Pits out of shelters and making K9s out of them.

Their ease of trainability is simply out of this world.

How horrible is that?

:D

[Salamander]

Sounds pretty “Final Solution” to anyone who thinks sanely.

[Salamander]

Get the dog thoroughly vet checked.

Hypothyroidism and tick borne diseases, first [FULL PCR/DNA tick panel] and then checked for intermittent pain issues.

Dogs hide pain out of instinct and your comment that the older he gets, the crankier, makes me suspect increasing discomfort.

Hip dysplasia, knee issues, spine issues, even cancer [which they are prone to] could be possible causes.

Low thyroid and tick diseases also cause intermittent “sudden” snaps.

Honestly, I think your dog is sick.

Were it *my* dog, and I didn’t want to “bother” with a vet [unthinkable, that] I would start him on 300mg of Doxycyclne, first and watch for 3 days of worsening behavior, followed by better.

Then I would give him a few baby aspirin every day, to see if pain is the issue.

[Salamander]

” and her head kind of swayed”

Symptom of Lyme and Ehrlichiosis.

Been there, seen that, with *two* Ibizan Hounds and one Dobermann.

Both diseases have neurological/psychological side effects, “sudden rage” being extremely common.

[Salamander]

PLEASE take the dog to the vet for a FULL workup.

It is sick.

[Salamander]

Actually, the only breed created to be “killers” of humans were Dobermanns.

Sole purpose.

NO other.

To defend and protect its handler, with lethal force.

ONLY breed.

Ever.

[Reno89519]

Which, killing off the breed or prosecuting and jailing their owners? I won’t lose sleep over either.

[kanawa]

4. Murphy

Life on the streets had a happy ending when Murphy, still nursing on his homeless mother, was found and later adopted.

Amanda Clase adopted Murphy and had him certified as a therapy dog.
Murphy visits hospitals, retirement homes and universities to offer comfort and spread awareness for the breed.
Murphy carries forward the therapy dog legacy that began with Clase’s dogs, Samantha and Sydney, who were lost in 2010 because of health problems.

Murphy has been recognized for his therapy work by CharlieDog and Friends in the form of a plush dog named after him.
He was the first pit bill therapy dog made into plush by the company after learning about him from StubbyDog and Pit Bull Rescue Central.
The plush Murphy has a replica of his trademark socks that he wears to provide traction on freshly cleaned hospital floors.

[eastexsteve]

Get the dog thoroughly vet checked..Honestly, I think your dog is sick.

He goes to the vet regularly. I give him Cosequin regularly just as a precaution because he plays hard. If that dog is sick, he's been sick for five years.

I've trained hunting dogs for years, and I've observed the breed. Now that I've actually owned one for seven years now, I can state that the only thing that's wrong with that dog is that he's a pit bull. Every male pit bull I've encountered behaves just like he does. The only difference is he's had the benefit of one-on-one training. But, like all the other male pits I've seen, he's a Jekyll and Hyde who walks on four legs.

To me, they are obviously not a breed you would want for a family dog. Mine even gets along well with and plays with other dogs in the kennel. But, he plays rough, and has to be put out in the kennel with dogs who outweigh him by 20 lbs or more.

You might argue that he should have been neutered, but I can tell you from experience training other dogs that's no guarantee the uncontrollable aggression will stop. A good example is my two best hunting dogs that were German short-hair pointers who were brothers, and were neutered. It didn't matter. Both of those dogs would fight anything in the kennel, and had to be carried in separate dog boxes when you transported them. They would literally fight with anything else you put in the back of the truck.

Our dog likes to be petted, but only if he initiates the contact. The only family member he will not bite hard is my wife. But, even my wife can't touch his legs or feet, or do anything to annoy him or he will instantly grab at her hands. But, because of the strength in his jaws, even that can hurt. He's unbelievably smart, obedient, entertaining, and protective of the family. He's just not a good pet. I've never seen a male pit bull that was, and I always blamed the owners. It's not the owners, it's the breed.

I'm droning on about this now, hoping to convince others who are considering taking on a pit bull for a pet to reconsider, and look at another breed. Pit bulls require a lot of attention and exercise daily. And, by exercise I mean more than just walking. We own a 160 acre ranch, and I can't even imagine seeing our dog trying to survive in a small yard. He would literally explode. And, they can hurt you playing with you, without even trying to hurt you.

[kanawa]

Dang...hit post before hotlinking...

CharlieDog and Friends
and
StubbyDog
and
Pit Bull Rescue Central

Here's a couple more bonus pics of Murphy...

[boycott]

Tease them. Poke them. Pull their tails. Etc. Like children might do.

[kanawa]

I wouldn’t recommend doing that do any dog.
There are two types of people that I don’t trust around dogs... young children and drunks.

[Salamander]

I only ask that you run the tests.
Many vets only go by what you say and look no further.

The tests are not overly expensive and “5 years” is of little or no bearing.

Both low thyroid and tick borne diseases can take years to fully manifest.

Thyroid is almost always a slow progression and Lyme, particularly, can “hide” in the bone marrow and spleen and show no symptoms until some other issue kicks it into action.

Could be the stress of age, a change of weather, lousy food or just a bad day.

I would never argue for neutering because it’s been proven that neutering exacerbates fear aggression exponentially by removing the testosterone that gave the dog the little courage it had, to start with.

A mildly aggressive dog can become a constantly terrified fear biter.

Contrary to peta-pushed propaganda, neutering has little or no positive effect on “aggression” and the verified health risks of removing a vital part of an animal’s endocrine *system* are not worth it.

“But, even my wife can’t touch his legs or feet, or do anything to annoy him or he will instantly grab at her hands.”

My parents had a Chow who was a “real badass”.

He’d nail anyone who touched him, so naturally, I did a thorough touch exam.

I told him to take him to a vet, ASAP.

His back was out of whack and his knees were totally shot. All his “badassery” was him reacting to the agony of just being alive, let alone being touched.

He was given an NSAID for the pain he’d endured for years and lived the rest of his life as the sweetest dog ever.

Why anyone would not give their dog the benefit of the doubt and at least *check* is beyond me.

[boycott]

My parents had a poodle. You look at him wrong and he would attack you. He was big enough to hurt too.

[kanawa]

5. Kane

Rescued from a shelter outside New York City, this male 2-year-old pittie is also part Bulldog and Scottie.
Kane visits nursing homes and acts as an ambassador for Kane’s Krusade, a nonprofit in Springfield, Massachusetts, founded by Kim George.
George’s inspiration for the organization came after her dog, Tess, was diagnosed with cancer.

In addition to therapy visits and appearances by Kane, the organization helps spread awareness of BSL,
offers assistance to families in unfortunate situations so they can keep their pets, holds workshops such as safe dog handling and organizes fundraisers.
Kane’s Krusade goes into homes and works directly with dog owners who need assistance.
The organization also hands out care kits, which include pet food, toys, leashes and collars,
and offers assistance with microchipping, spay and neuter, vaccinations and behavior training.

Kane's Krusade

Might want a tissue handy for this video... Saving Dogs to Help Keep Families Together

[eastexsteve]

I only ask that you run the tests. Many vets only go by what you say and look no further. The tests are not overly expensive and “5 years” is of little or no bearing. Both low thyroid and tick borne diseases can take years to fully manifest.

I appreciate the advice, but I've had a thorough workup done on the dog once he matured. He's not in any discomfort. He's quite active, and requires a great deal of exercise and will drive you nuts until you give it to him. His actions seem to be just part of his nature, as with other pit bulls I've encountered. He's been this way ever since he was almost three.